Education investment lauded

The Council of Ministers has lauded Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for the government’s massive investment in education aimed at boosting the country’s economy.

At a Cabinet meeting chaired by the king at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday, the ministers said in a statement that the Education Evaluation Conference that took place recently in the capital highlighted the progress the Kingdom was making in this regard.

The conference, entitled “Introduction to Development and Quality” and opened on behalf of the king by Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar, demonstrated the monarch’s support for education, said Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Toraifi in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency after the meeting.

At the meeting, King Salman briefed the ministers on his talks with President Omar Bashir of Sudan, President Ikililou Dhoinine of the Comoros, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, foreign minister of the UAE, Gen. Raheel Sharif, chief of the Pakistani Army, Gene L. Dodaro, head of the US Government Accountability Office, and Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

Al-Toraifi said the ministers also thanked the king for supporting the 37th King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Memorization of the Holy Qur’an being held at the Grand Mosque, with the participation of 124 contestants from 66 countries.

After a review of the report submitted by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the Cabinet approved the organizational arrangements of the Center for Achievement and Rapid Intervention formed recently by a royal order.

This includes linking the center with the minister of economy and planning who is chairman of the monitoring committee overseeing the decisions taken by the Council of Economic Affairs and Development.

The Cabinet decided that the Ministry of Haj should be represented on the special executive committee set up to monitor the implementation of the public transport project in Madinah.

The Cabinet further decided that the Ministry of Education should pay for the tickets every year of parents wishing to travel to see their children with disabilities who are studying on scholarships abroad.

The Cabinet authorized the Ministry of Labor to discuss a memorandum of understanding with Turkey and to produce recommendations for approval at a later stage.

The ministers also decided that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should set up a permanent committee that would nominate and second citizens to work for regional and international organizations, and ensure their salaries are covered.

The Cabinet also decided to restructure the General Organization for Grain Silos and Flour Mills, with the establishment of four joint-stock companies, and for the organization to be called the “General Organization for Grain.”